Bud and Lou
by Alex Snape
Summary: The story of how Harley and The Joker became the proud parents of...two hyenas? Rated M for language and sexual situations. Nolanverse Joker and Harley. Not a oneshot!
1. Chapter 1

**I've decided to take Harley's hyenas and do a Nolanverse kinda twist on their story of how they came to be her babies.**

**If you've read my Maybe Baby series, hopefully, you've figured out by now that all my stories are interconnected. I say this because you will meet two of The Joker's henchmen in this story when they started as 'rookies.' Enjoy...and please review. :-)**

Harley peered over her magazine as she reclined into sofa, her petite feet resting comfortably in The Joker's lap. She watched him as he eyed the newscaster on the television screen, all the while flicking his switchblade in and out of its handle as he caressed the soles of her feet with his other hand.

"Puddin'?" Harley asked quietly. He sighed, but didn't answer her so she cleared her throat. "Pud?"

"Hmm?" was his reply, raising an eyebrow and still glaring at the TV screen.

Harley sat up a bit and asked, "How do you feel about kids?"

The Joker creased his brow and looked at her. "What?"

"Kids," she repeated. "Do you like kids?"

He flicked his tongue to one corner of his mouth as he turned to face her, keeping her feet in his lap. He looked at her with his dark eyes, which were still encircled with black paint. He licked his bottom lip and said, "Do I look like the kinda guy that could tolerate a kid?"

Harley shrugged. "I think so…well, maybe one of your own."

The Joker groaned and rolled his eyes as he turned off the TV with the remote control. "Are we really going to talk about this again?" Harley shifted uncomfortably and put her magazine in her lap as he continued, "Harley…don't get me wrong. I'm sure I could handle…my _own _kid…but I really don't think it's such a good idea. I mean, look at our situation. The way we live; can you really see us raising a child here?"

"I could stay at home," Harley insisted.

"That isn't my point…dear." he said, sternly, but trying to avoid another restless night that would probably be derived from their little discussion. "I told you last night what my qualms were about…paternity. It's not gonna happen."

"I know, baby, but…what makes you think that you'll be just like your fath—"

"Harley!" The Joker snarled. He took a deep breath when he saw that he had startled her and he rubbed one of her feet. "Why do you keep asking me anyway?" He paused as he looked at her suspiciously. "Harley? You _are _still taking the Pill, right?" She didn't answer. "Harley!"

"Yes!" she replied, choking back tears.

The Joker ran his fingers through his hair. "Don't cry, Harley Baby. You did enough of that last night."

"Gee, I wonder why…" she said, sarcastically.

He huffed and turned away from her, pushing her feet off his lap. "Harley, I'm putting my foot down. I'm ending this discussion, once and for all. We're never talking about it again, okay?"

"But, Pud…"

"The answer is _no_! I don't want a kid with you and I _never will_! So stop talking about it already!" He turned on the TV and slammed the remote control hard onto the coffee table.

Harley brought her feet to rest under her bottom as she tried to keep her composure behind her magazine. The Joker could hear her attempt to stifle her tears and he rolled his eyes again at the sound of her tiny sniffles. He shook his head and rubbed his temple. "I want your feet."

Harley sniffed but didn't look at him. "Huh?"

He smirked and turned to her. "Gimme your feet; I wasn't done with them." She hesitated but let him gently grasp her ankles and let him place them back in his lap. He softly caressed the soles of her feet again and grinned when he heard her soft moaning. "Your toe nail polish is chipping."

She giggled. "I know. I need to take it off."

"I'll do it," The Joker said, opening his switchblade.

"Eek! No!" Harley giggled. "Don't!"

"But I wanna help," he insisted, clutching her ankle tightly. She squirmed and whined and he told her, "Shh! Harl…don't you trust me?"

Harley stopped struggling. "Yes…I do…" she forced through gritted teeth. She laughed at how ticklish her big toe was getting as she felt The Joker's blade scraping off the remainder of her polish.

He clicked his teeth and shook his head. "Nope, nope," he muttered. "Not coming off…I'll have to amputate."

"No!!" Harley shrieked and pulled her feet from his lap.

"What?" The Joker asked innocently. "I'll get you another one." He tried to grab her again but she had darted off the sofa and trotted toward the stairs. "Harley!"

She coyly turned and grinned at him as he stepped closer, his knife still drawn. "Gimme that toe." He ran to her and chased her up the stairs as she squealed with laughter.

Harley ran into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her, but gasped when she heard a thud and The Joker swearing, "Ahh! Son of a bitch!"

She went to the door and spoke to him from the other side. "Puddin'? Are you okay?"

"No," he panted. "I…I need a towel or something."

"Why?"

"Well, I…uh…I accidentally…uh, stabbed myself in the leg."

Harley gasped. "Oh, my God! You did?!"

"Oh, yeah," he answered from outside the bedroom. "There's blood everywhere…"

Harley thought for a moment, and then smirked. "You're lying!"

"What?! Why the hell would I lie about something like this?"

"I know you, Mistah J! The moment I open this door, you're gonna grab me and tickle me!"

He growled. "Harley! I'm losing blood here! I'm not in the mood for tickles!"

She hesitated but slowly opened the door and looked into the hallway. He wasn't there, but when she opened the door wider, Harley was startled when she heard him roar, grabbing and tickling her until she was in a fit of squirming giggles on the bedroom floor.

"You said you were bleeding!" she screamed.

The Joker threw his hands up and yelled, "It's a miracle!" He blew raspberries into her neck but stopped when he realized just how much he was enjoying pinning her to the floor and holding her down while she was writhing underneath him. "Ohh…" he cooed. "Did I mention…that I _love_ tickling you?"

Harley laughed and groaned as he began to kiss her neck. "I can tell that you do." She wrapped one of her legs around his hips as he leaned in to kiss her.

"Your laugh turns me on…" he growled.

Harley moaned as she put her arms around him. "Let's get in bed…" she whispered.

He sat up and smiled, "No way." He took off his vest and brought down his suspenders. "I want you…just like…this…"

"Oh, Mistah J…"

**The next evening**

"Jesus! I'm freezin' my nuts off out here," Sly complained as he blew into his hands to warm them. "Hey, rookie? You got the car figured out or what?"

The new kid banged his head on the hood of the old Cadillac as he rose up to answer him. "Ow! I'm workin' on it. Hold your god damned horses."

Bobby chuckled as he inhaled his cigarette. "Step it up, kid. The Boss hired you and your friend for a reason."

The other rookie, a dark-haired man in his early twenties, snorted as he snuffed out his cigarette under his shoe. "He hired me for my gun and Jackson there for his skill behind the wheel and under the hood."

"Hey, you two," Sly interjected. "Remember, we can't be calling each other our real names. The Boss and his girl don't go by their names, so we shouldn't either."

"Then what are we supposed to go by then, huh, Sly?" Jackson lifted his oil-stained face from under the car hood and looked at the red-haired man that stood beside him.

Sly smirked. "You'll get named. Harley'll take care of that."

"How's it coming, boys?" came The Joker's voice as he and Harley came out of the theatre and walked over to Bobby's side.

Bobby sighed. "No go yet, Boss. The kid here is doing all he can."

"So, what's the problem?" The Joker asked, his dark eyes glaring at the now nervous blonde teenager who was desperately trying to clean his hands with the dirty oil rag.

"Uh, well," he stammered. "It just looks like the engine is frozen, is all. Not surprised, though, seeing as how it's been below twenty lately." He stared back at The Joker, whose countenance hadn't changed, and Jackson began to grow nervous.

Harley, however, tugged on The Joker's arm. "Well, maybe we can pour some warm water over it. Will that help, rook?"

Jackson smiled at the sound of her sweet, reassuring voice and chuckled. "We could, Miss Quinn, but…I don't know…it could take hours…plus, you could risk ruining the engine further."

"Aw, that stinks," she sulked.

The Joker playfully pinched her cheek. "Sorry, Sweetness. I guess we can't get a tree this year if the car can't start."

"But, Pud! It's our night to get a tree! We do it every year!" She sighed. "Can't we just walk instead?"

"Harley, the tree farm is on the outskirts of Gotham. There's no way…" The Joker noticed the down-trodden look on Harley's face. "I'm sorry, baby. There's always next year, right?"

She sighed. "I guess…"

Jackson didn't like how sad Harley looked so he bravely said, "You know…my cousin drives a cab…"

They all were silent as he felt their confused stares on him, but The Joker raised his eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Y-yes, sir," Jackson stuttered. "He could take us…free of charge. He does it for me all the time."

"Would he do it for me?" The Joker smirked.

He laughed. "In a heartbeat, Boss."

Harley's smile grew bigger. "That's a great idea. Can we please, Daddy? Pleeease?" She looked up at him and playfully gave him a glimpse of her big baby blues.

"Aw," he cooed. "You guys think I could say no to this face?" He cupped her chin gently as she smiled at his men as they smirked. "However, can't risk it. So, I'm gonna send the new kids."

Jackson and his fellow rookie stared at their Boss with wide eyes. Sly threw a bundle of sturdy ropes at the young driver and chuckled, "Good luck, boys." With that, he and Bobby went into the theatre to warm up as The Joker followed them, leaving Harley to give the men further instructions.

"Okay, thanks, guys," she said with a smile. "We've gotten a tree every year and I was hoping we wouldn't have to break the tradition. I mean, we've done it for four years and…" She stopped when she could see that the other rookie was getting impatient. "Sorry…anyways…try to find a tree that's lush with a deep green. We always put purple garland and bright orange lights on it. It looks so cool. Oh! And it has to be big, but not too big…maybe about as big as…"

"We get it, girly," Jackson's friend interrupted. "A big green tree."

Harley raised her eyebrow in a cautious gesture. Did he really just speak to her like that? She decided to let it slide, seeing as how he was a new recruit. "Fine…I'm glad we're on the same page. Don't take too long; decorating is the best part."

The men turned to walk through the alley to the street, but Harley stopped them saying, "Oh, boys. Mistah J informed you that I get to give you your new names, right?"

They looked at each other and then back at Harley, who was staring at Jackson with a smirk. "I'm going to name you…Townshend."

The teenager chuckled. "Like…Pete Townshend? Why?"

"I don't know. You just seem to have that vibe…must be the nose…"

Townshend smiled and rubbed his nose in slight embarrassment, and Harley laughed. "Hey, I like it. Gives you character. Now…you…" She eyed Townshend's friend. "Were you an outcast in school?"

The kid sneered. "Yeah…I guess."

"Can you sing?"

He creased his brow in confusion. "No…I mean, I don't know…"

"Okay," Harley smiled. "Your name will be Ringo." There was a moment of silence between the three of them and Harley tried to hold back a giggle. "You know…because he can't carry a tune…and nobody likes Ringo. Good luck, boys."

She turned from them and bounced her way inside the theatre. Townshend and Ringo walked toward the street and when they rounded the corner, Townshend suddenly burst out laughing but Ringo wasn't amused in the slightest. "Bitch…shut up, asshole!" He shouted to his supposed friend as they walked to the curb.

"They're on their way, Puddin'," Harley announced as she strode to the sofa, stripping off her coat and throwing it across the coffee table before sitting beside The Joker. He was watching the evening news and he smirked as she cuddled into his side. "The dark haired kid's got an attitude," she told him quietly.

He turned to her with a dark glare. "What did he do?" he asked.

Harley giggled. "Oh, never mind. He'll learn."

"He'd better or he's dead."

"Oh, Pud," Harley cooed as she played with his tie. "He's just a kid."

"I don't care," he replied, turning his attention back to the television. "He's gotta know his place real quick or he'll find himself with a bullet in his brain. I can't tolerate an attitude."

"You've put up with _me_," she grinned.

He sighed and smirked at her. "True…but I know how to…adjust…that attitude of yours…"

"Is that a fact?" she asked, biting her lip coquettishly.

The Joker raised his eyebrow. "Are you giving me attitude right now, young lady?"

Harley gasped and feigned embarrassment. "Oh! I'm sorry, Daddy." She slowly crawled across his lap and laid over it, her firm bottom resting perfectly underneath his gaze. "Please don't punish me. I'll be a good girl." She looked up at him over her shoulder and smiled.

The Joker couldn't help but smile back at her and looked behind him to find that his men were sitting at the kitchen table watching the television as well. He looked down at her and shook his head. Harley whined. "Come on, Puddin'. You know you want to…"

"Actually…no, I don't," he said, putting his feet on the coffee table. "I'm not going to spank you…consider that your punishment."

Harley huffed. "Fine." She raised herself up, but The Joker placed his hand on the back of her neck and made her lie across his lap again.

"I didn't say get up," he told her.

Harley giggled, but stopped when her eye caught a public interest story on the news. "Aww, Pud. Look," she said. "They're talking about that pregnant hyena at Gotham Zoo."

The Joker turned up the volume as the field reporter unfolded the tale of the expectant hyena that Harley had been following for the past three months.

"_Lena, the spotted hyena that is expecting her first litter of puppies, is having a hard time carrying her weight, according to her keeper. The zoo's veterinarian has discovered that she is carrying two pups but he cannot say what the gender of either one is at this point. Right now, they are trying to keep Lena comfortable and that she is due to give birth in the next few days."_

"Oh, no," Harley whined. "That poor mommy. I hope she'll be okay."

_I'm Karen Robards, Channel…wait! I'm just getting word that Lena is actually giving birth at this very moment. Seems that she's really struggling, Tom, but her keepers are trying their best. We can only hope that the pups will make it safely into this world…"_

The camera cut back to the studio as another news anchor tried to listen to Karen Robards give her report. "_Well, it looks like we've lost her for a moment. Hopefully, we can get her back with further updates on Lena's condition."_

Harley shot up from her place across The Joker's lap. "Poor babies!"

"Come on, Harl," he said, taking out his knife and flicking it open to clean his nails. "It's just a couple of fuzzballs."

"But they might die, Mistah J! That would be horrible."

He chuckled. "If they die, then they die. Circle of life, Harley Baby. Didn't you ever see that movie?" He turned to Harley who was now giving him an annoyed looked. "Don't make me sing it," he joked.

"It isn't funny," she stated, crossing her arms and leaning into the sofa.

The Joker rolled his eyes. "Okay, whatever. I'm going to bed. I'll let you decorate the tree."

"But, Puddin'," Harley whined. "We always decorate it…together…"

He stood up and stretched. "By together, do you mean me sitting at table with my newspapers and you actually doing the work? 'How bout here, Pud?' 'Oh, this looks nice.' 'Help with this.' 'Untangle that.'" His imitation of her excited voice made her giggle and he smiled. "No, really. You do it; surprise me."

"Okay," Harley agreed. "I'll try my best. It's hard to surprise you. Besides, I wanna see what happens with the hyena."

He shook his head. "Yeah, have fun with that."

"I just hope everything turns out okay. Those poor babies…"

He yawned as he climbed the stairs to their bedroom, saying, "Hakuna Matata…"

"What?" Harley asked, giggling.

"I said, good night, dearest," he replied, stopping in front of the bedroom door and blowing her a kiss.

Hours later, The Joker felt himself being shaken awake by a delicate hand. He grunted as he brought his face out of his pillow and squinted in the darkness. "Harley?" he asked groggily. He reached up and turned on his bedside lamp and rubbed his eyes. "I'll put the star on the tree in the morning…"

A loud sniff was all he got in reply and he looked at her and saw that her eyes were red from crying. He groaned as he sat up in bed and looked up at her. "What's the matter?" he asked her, his voice deep and tired. He raised his brow. "Is the tree too small? Does it look too busy? Is there a light bulb out on the string? I'm sure you did a good job, Harl. Now, come to bed."

Harley shook her head and wiped her eyes. The Joker sighed. "You know, I…"

"The mama hyena died…" she whimpered finally.

He looked up at her and gently took her hand. "Aw, I'm sorry, baby, but…that's life. It was too tough on her, huh?"

Harley shut her eyes tight and nodded. "They said that…she was too…sick and…weak and that it was either her or…the babies…they had to put her down."

He sighed. "Well…it was best, you know? At least the pups are okay…right?"

"Yeah, there are two of them…but…now they don't have a mom," Harley told him, a new tear streaming down her cheek.

The Joker licked his lips and scratched his scalp. He was too tired to put her in his lap and comfort her and he really needed to rest. He stood up and put on his robe, then, taking her hand he said, "Show me the tree."

Harley led him downstairs and he smirked when he saw the six foot tall fir tree standing in the far corner of the living area. Harley had strung up their deep purple garland with white icicle ornaments and the bright orange lights blinked on and off, illuminating the purple tree skirt where a couple of presents were already sitting.

The Joker smiled. "It's perfect, Harley Baby," he praised, squeezing her against his side as she wiped her eyes. "Whose presents are those?"

Harley grinned. "Yours, silly."

"I told you not to get me anything," he said, stroking her hair as they stood in front of the tree. "I haven't gotten your gift yet."

"I don't want anything…"

"Okay…have it your way…" he said, smiling.

She giggled and shrugged. "It's just some things I found…thought you'd like them." She looked down at her feet and bit her lip. "Those poor babies…"

He looked at her, wanting to scold her for acting so sad over an animal, but he resisted and instead kissed her cheek. "You know…I think this is your best tree yet."

"No…it looks the same as it always does," she said. "I was watching the news and was too sad to add too many things to it."

"Well…I like it. But, what I would like even more…is if you went to bed." He patted her on the bottom as he led her back to the stairs. "Go on; I'll be right behind you."

Harley made her way to the bedroom door, but turned and looked back at the tree. "You really think it's my best one, Puddin'?"

The Joker smirked. "It wouldn't be Christmas without your magical touch, Harl."

She smiled at him as he winked at her and watched her go inside the bedroom. He then made his way over to the sofa and turned on the television to watch the late night news. He caught the very last comments of a recap of the zoo story: "_It's a sad night here at Gotham City Zoo after a young spotted hyena, which was giving birth to her litter of pups just hours ago, died from exhaustion and loss of blood, leaving behind two orphaned male babies. Her keepers stated that her past few weeks of carrying her young had been a painful toll on her, and they had to euthanize her just seconds after she gave birth to the last pup. The babies will be raised for a few weeks away from the rest of the hyenas until they are old enough to mingle with the clan."_

A picture of the small pups shot onto the television screen and The Joker caught himself smirking as he looked at the dark brown balls of fur whose eyes were already wide with curiosity and whose stomachs were being eased as they were being bottle-fed.

He then recalled Harley's words: "_Those poor babies…they don't have a mom…"_

The Joker bit his lip as he turned off the television and looked over at the tree. He thought about the night before when Harley was asking him about children and how he told her that he would never want to do anything so irresponsible as to raise a child in their living situation. He remembered the hurt expression on her face and he sighed. He suddenly spied the brightly wrapped presents underneath the tree and a smile slowly stretched across his face as the image of the orphaned hyena pups flashed through his mind.

He shot up from the sofa and flung open the front door, startling Bobby who was keeping watch with Townshend, who had fallen asleep in his upright position on the upturned bucket he was using as a stool. "Boss?" Bobby asked. "Something wrong?"

"Does the zoo stay open on the holidays?" The Joker asked.

Bobby looked at Townshend, who shrugged saying, "No, sir. I don't think they do. Christmas Eve, maybe they're closed."

"Find out and tell me in the morning," their boss ordered. "I have to pick up Harley's present."


	2. Chapter 2

**Three nights later**

"Hey, Harl," Ivy greeted her friend over the telephone as she relaxed in her armchair. She was stroking her fern plant that was sitting next to her and it moved along with her fingers. Ivy would giggle as one of its leaves would tickle her chin. "Merry Christmas…well, Eve, I guess."

Harley smiled. "Oh, hi, Red." She was putting the finishing touches on another gift that she had gotten for The Joker and was carefully curling strands of green ribbon with a small pair of scissors. "I'm just arranging the presents under the tree. There are six of them."

Ivy chuckled. "Six? Yours?"

Harley paused in her wrapping and then placed a piece of tape underneath the big green bow that sat on top of the gift. "No…Mistah J's."

Ivy stopped petting her fern and walked to the window, making the plant reach out for her in a desperate attempt to feel her caress. "Hmm, no surprise there," she told her Harley.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Harl...what did you get The Joker last year?"

Harley bit her lip. "Let's see. I got him…a nice pocket watch…some socks…a really snazzy purple paisley tie. I saw it at Macy's and just had to get it for him. He looks so sexy wearing it, too."

"And what did he get you?" Ivy asked, leaning against the wall as she gazed down at the snow covered streets of Gotham.

"Hmm…I think it was…no…that was for my birthday. Oh! He got me a bracelet."

Ivy huffed. "That's it. You gave him three presents…"

"Five, actually."

"Five presents…and he got you one…a measly bracelet."

Harley sneered as she rearranged The Joker's presents under the tree for the tenth time. "Measly? It was a beautiful gold bracelet with real emeralds. It was sweet." She walked over to the staircase where their stockings were hanging and she played with the toe of her red and black one. "Besides, it's the thought that counts. He surprised me with it on Christmas Morning. You should have seen how anxious he was for me to open the box; it was cute."

"So, where is he now, Harl?" Ivy stroked the leaves of her poinsettia plant and its red petals grew a deeper hue under her touch.

"I don't know. I've been so busy with the tree and stuff…hopefully, he's out getting…hey, Puddin'!"

Ivy moved her ear away from her phone, but Harley's high-pitched squeal had already pierced her eardrum. "I guess that's my cue to say good night, huh?"

Harley laughed. "Yeah, sorry, Red. Night! Merry Christmas!" She shut her cell phone as she trotted over to The Joker as he came through the door.

Before he could respond to her, Harley had thrown her arms around his waist and squeezed him in a loving hug. He chuckled and said, quietly, "Hey, doll."

Harley pulled away and led him over to the tree. "Look…Santa came early."

He looked under the tree and smirked. "There's another one for me?" Harley smiled broadly and he shook his head. "Come on, Harl. No more presents. I already told you not to get me anything."

"But I wanted to, Daddy," Harley said, squeezing his hand. "Okay, I have our night planned out. First, I'll make some hot chocolate and then we'll curl up on the couch and, like every year, put on _A Christmas Story_. Then, we can dig into some candy canes while we watch _How the Grinch Stole…_"

"Harley…" The Joker gently interrupted her.

"Then, after _It's a Wonderful Life_, if you've been really good, I'll let you open one present…okay, two…no, no, no! One! Just one!"

"Harley…"

"After that, we can go to bed…I'll put on my special Christmas 'outfit,'" she giggled as she traced his jaw line with her finger. "And we can get really naughty. After all, Santa can't keep track of our behavior…while he's flying around in the sky, huh?"

The Joker chuckled at her bawdy comment, but then softly cupped her chin and kissed her forehead. "I can't, baby…"

Harley's happy expression drooped instantly. "What?"

He shrugged. "I…I have a job tonight."

Her lips parted in a sad gesture. "A job? But…but it's Christmas Eve."

"Yeah…"

"But…you always take Christmas Eve off…for us…you said you always would…"

He looked down at his scuffed shoes and licked his lips. "I know, Harl. But…it's very important that…I work tonight. It has to be done."

"Oh," Harley said, looking down at her hands as she played with her fingers. "Okay…will you be back in time to watch the tree ceremony at City Hall?"

The Joker sighed. "I'm afraid I won't be back until…Christmas morning…or afternoon…" He cleared his throat as he straightened his gloves. "I actually just came in to...give you this…"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out mistletoe, then, with a smirk, he held it over his head as he gazed at Harley. "Merry Christmas, Harley Baby."

However, Harley was glaring back at him with a hurt, angry look. "That's it? That's my present this year? A kiss under a twig?"

The Joker huffed. "It's not a twig. It's mistletoe. You love mistletoe."

"Not as a gift!" she shouted.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Lower your voice, Harley."

"No! You said that you would always take Christmas Eve off! You promised me!"

"Lower…your voice…" he warned again.

"You say you're a man of your word. You're a fucking liar!"

He sighed as he stomped over to her and grabbed her hair, leading her to the sofa and tossing her onto it as she winced in pain. She shoved him off her and began to throw her fists toward him as he tried to kneel in front of her. "Hell, no, little girl!" he growled as he grabbed her wrists and pinned them to her lap. "Harley! You'd better cool your jets, Princess, or you'll be getting more than just mistletoe!"

She stopped struggling and stared at him with anger shining in her blue eyes. He knelt in front of her and positioned himself between her knees as he kept a tight grip on her wrists. "Don't you…_ever_…call me a liar. There's very little in this world…that I wouldn't do for you…and I work one, just one, Christmas Eve and you blow up like some kinda gasket!"

He waited for her to catch her breath and continued; "Now…I didn't get you a present. I know that…I'm not pretending or trying to hide anything from you…I've been busy, baby. You know this…we've been preoccupied. I'm sorry, but the last thing I need is for you to throw a tantrum when I'm trying to make up for the fact that I didn't get you anything this year." He let go of one of her wrists and took the mistletoe from his coat pocket again. He set it beside them on the arm of the couch and told her, "I'm touched you got me presents, Harley. I am…but to me…a present doesn't come in a box…this little plant isn't the same as a bracelet or a spa treatment or even a brand new car…but I know how much you like them…because of what they symbolize."

Harley sniffed as tears began to run down her cheeks and she gazed at him as he spoke. "I won't play around, Harl. I love kissing you, but I especially love to kiss you on Christmas Eve. Know why?" She shook her head and he held her hands. "Because that's a present to me, baby. It's to reassure me that you're still around. In fact, if this entire theatre burned down right now, along with our stuff, our tree, even my presents that you got me…I wouldn't mind…just as long as I still got to kiss you…underneath this insignificant bunch of leaves."

Harley wiped her eyes and reached out to stroke his left scar. She carefully picked up the mistletoe and asked, "Do you still…want your present?"

He grinned. "It's the highlight of my holiday."

She put the mistletoe over her head and he held her face in his hands as he leaned into her lips. He lightly brushed her full bottom lip with his as she whimpered. His tongue gently parted them and began to explore her mouth. He let out a soft moan as he moved his hands from her face and wrapped his arms around her body as she pushed herself into his torso. Harley's arms crept inside his purple coat and she stroked his back as they were locked in their loving embrace.

"Oh…Puddin'…" Harley whispered.

"Shh…I'm not done," The Joker muttered back, bringing her back to his lips and kissing her harder. He lay Harley onto her back and slipped out of his coat. He started to unbutton her blouse as she unzipped his pants.

"Wait…what about…your job?" she panted as he planted hungry kisses on her neck.

"We've got time for a Christmas quickie," he purred, making her giggle.

Townshend sat behind the wheel of the old Cadillac as Bobby, Sly, and Ringo sat with him, desperately praying that the engine would start so the heater could blast warm relief within the cramped vehicle.

"Hey, Sly?" Ringo asked. "I thought you guys had a big Escalade."

Sly snickered. "Man, Harley wrecked that damn thing on a job one night."

"That's what the Boss gets for letting his chick get behind the wheel," Bobby joked.

Townshend chuckled and turned the key in the ignition and the motor roared alive and was greeted with quiet applause and pats on the back for the rookie driver. He smiled. "All in the wrist, I guess."

Bobby quickly jumped out of the front seat when he saw The Joker come out of the theatre and walk to the car. "Just in time, Boss," he told him.

The Joker smirked. "Good work, rook," he told his young driver.

"Thanks," Townshend smiled.

"So, Boss," Sly began. "Was Miss Quinn a bit put down?"

"At first, but…she got over it," The Joker grinned as he adjusted his tie and re-buttoned his vest. "Hit it," he declared and the rookie carefully pulled the car into the alley and onto the dark, snow-covered street.

Soon, he was parking the car under a burnt-out streetlight and Ringo sneered to himself when he realized that their job consisted of breaking into the nursery of the Gotham City Zoo. "Are you kidding me?" he asked under his breath as he crept behind Sly.

"Can it, shorty!" Sly reprimanded him. "If the Boss says this is a job, then it's a job."

"Okay, boys," The Joker whispered behind him as Bobby cut a hole into the chain link fence that led into the veterinary clinic. "We gotta make this quick and make sure we don't wake any of these critters."

"Got it!" Bobby announced as he ripped away the fence he had cut.

"Towser, you're coming with me and Bob," The Joker instructed. "Sly…stay out here with Snoopy."

"Ringo," the rookie bravely corrected him.

"What did I say?"

"You called me…"

"Uh, we'll keep ya covered, Boss," Sly interjected.

The Joker led Bobby and Townshend inside the fence and toward the back door of the clinic. Sly turned to Ringo and gave him a stern glare. "Are you completely fucked up?"

Ringo rolled his eyes. "He called me Snoopy."

"I don't care if he called you President Truman! If the Boss screws up your name, you don't…point it out, idiot!" Sly warned through gritted teeth.

Bobby picked the lock that led into the clinic and entered first with his gun drawn. He inspected to be sure that there were no security cameras and, more importantly, if there were no interns staying late to catch some holiday overtime. When the coast was clear, he signaled to The Joker and Townshend to come in after him.

The Joker looked around for a door that would lead to a kennel while Townshend looked around. He spotted some small terrariums, one of which was housing a small chameleon that was nestling against a big limb. He read the medical spreadsheet that was pasted to the tank: 'Sick; feed only pureed grubs and whey.'

Townshend swallowed a nauseous lump in his throat. "Yum…" he quipped under his breath.

Meanwhile, The Joker was putting his ear against a door through which he thought he heard grunting and small growls. He smirked as he turned the knob and carefully peered inside. "Here, puppies…" he quietly called.

His eyes grew wide when he realized that he was standing just a few feet away from a young, sleeping lioness that was snoozing on a giant mattress. The door's hinges squeaked and she quickly lifted her head and her eyes pierced into The Joker's as she let out a cautionary roar. The Joker took the hint and quickly closed the door and locked it. He paused to shake off the chill that was crawling up his spine.

"Hey, Boss," Townshend called out. "I hear something over here."

The Joker stalked closer to the rookie and he looked into the window of the door and found a room that contained four small pens. He opened the door and turned on a small lamp that was sitting on a work desk, and he turned his head when he heard soft whimpering. He spied a tiny pen and stood over it to peer down into it.

There they were: two small black pups, each with a ragged Mohawk between their ears and tiny brownish spots on their bottoms and hind legs. They were nestled into each other's bodies as their heads lifted and they looked up at their late night visitor with curious wonder in their little, black eyes. One of them finally let out a small bark and started to wag its tail excitedly.

The Joker couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a plastic bag filled with chicken that Harley had cooked a few nights ago. He removed one of his gloves and knelt down as the pups rose from their bed made of grass and rushed to the side of the pen, and The Joker let them smell his hand and they licked his fingers while they let out anxious whimpers and grunts.

"Okay, okay, easy, boys," he hushed them as he reached into the plastic bag and began to pull apart pieces of chicken. The pups eagerly ate up every morsel their visitor was so generously giving them, and The Joker motioned to Townshend with his other hand. "Here, Towser," he said, handing the rookie the rest of the chicken. "Let them see how nice you are…then grab one and stick him in your jacket."

"Okay, Boss," Townshend replied as he grinned at how the one smaller one he was feeding was practically trying to bite off his fingers. "Hey, take it easy little guy," he told the fuzzy pup that was pawing at his wrists. When he felt that it trusted him enough, he carefully lifted it from the pen and placed it snuggly in his leather jacket, the pup resting on his back with his paws neatly folded onto his spotted chest.

The Joker put on his glove and picked up the other baby hyena and it growled at bit as he put it into his inner coat pocket. The two men walked out of the clinic with Bobby following close behind. The Joker drew his gun from his pocket as he tried to hide the pup's face from the falling snow, but the pup was too excited to be kept from the cold. It quickly poked its tiny head out of The Joker's coat and let its chin rest on the purple lapel. It shook its head vigorously when a few snowflakes fell onto its nose and its over-sized ears smacked The Joker in the cheek.

"Ouch!" he whispered. "Easy, fella. You two are gonna meet your new mom."

When they had settled into the car, Sly smiled as he watched Townshend give his pup to Bobby so he could concentrate of driving. The Joker brought out his cell phone and called Mike, who was assigned to stay at the theatre with Harley. "Mike? Is Harley asleep? Good…good…meet us outside in about ten minutes and get that big box out of the storage closet. You got the bow?"

On Christmas morning, The Joker gently shook Harley awake and she moaned as she rolled onto her back. She opened her eyes and found him grinning at her as he lay on his side, his clean eyelids darkened from a late night and his hair disheveled. He pulled her to him as she lazily squeaked and he kissed her forehead. "Merry Christmas, Harley Baby."

Harley smiled. "Merry Christmas, Puddin'," she replied through a yawn. "I missed you last night."

"Yeah, I know," he smirked. "I got in pretty late. Actually, I went to sleep about…three hours ago."

"Oh, Pud," Harley whined. "You should go back to sleep."

"But it's Christmas. No time. I want presents."

Harley giggled. "Okay, let me make some coffee first…"

"Presents…"

"I heard you the first time, Mistah J," Harley laughed. "I want my coffee though…"

"No time," he said, kicking the sheets off the bed. "Presents…now…"

Harley continued laughing as he pulled on his plaid pajama pants and a white t-shirt. "You're like a little boy," she observed.

"Even as a little boy, I never slept late on Christmas," he smiled. He suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of bed, making her squeal in surprise. The Joker threw her robe to her and rushed her out of the bedroom as she was draping it around her shoulders. "Move it or lose it, lady," he quipped.

"Geez," Harley giggled. "Okay! I'm going!" She hurried down the stairs and quickly sat in front of the tree as The Joker knelt beside her. She looked over at him as she handed him one of his presents. "You know, every year you tell me to not get you anything, but every Christmas morning, you can't wait to open up whatever gift you have under the tree."

The Joker paused in tearing apart the green bow on his precious present and replied, "So…I'm a hypocrite."

Harley smiled as he opened the box. "You like it?"

He chuckled. "Yeah…it's…a tie…another tie…" He pulled it out of the box and rubbed the green silk fabric.

Harley frowned slightly. "You don't like it?"

He looked up at her and grinned. "Of course I do, baby. Thanks." He stuffed it back into the box and placed his hands on his knees. "Next…"

He unwrapped the second gift. "Ooh, Harley…cufflinks. These are pretty snazzy."

The third gift: "Wow…nice. My old switchblade is getting worn down…"

The fourth gift: "More socks?"

The fifth gift: "Yet…another…tie."

"You look good in ties," Harley insisted. "I think so…they're so sexy on you."

The Joker snickered. "Okay, then I guess I'll let it slide."

Harley smiled as she handed him his last gift. It was a big white box with a purple bow on top. "I saw it in the store and…I don't know…thought it would look great on you."

He raised an eyebrow at her and tore off the bow. He opened the box and peered inside. "Wow…" he muttered. He reached inside and brought out a deep purple Fedora that perfectly matched his coat. "I don't really…wear too many hats, doll."

Harley shrugged. "I know, but…I couldn't resist."

"I like it a lot, though," he told her, placing it on his head. He adjusted it and peered over at her, his dark eyes glaring from underneath the brim.

Harley bit her lip. "I love it, Puddin'. It's perfect."

"Maybe I'll wear it on our date nights," he purred as she crawled over to him and kissed him. He put his arm around her as she put her back to his chest and gazed up at the tree. He kissed her cheek and whispered, "Thanks, Harl."

She grinned. "No need," she replied as she reached behind her and stroked his ear.

"Sorry I…didn't get you anything."

"It's okay, Mistah J…really." But she let out a quiet sigh and put her face into his neck.

"I promise, baby. Next year, I'll…" He paused and said, "Hey…you see that?"

Harley looked past the tree. "See what?"

The Joker pointed toward the space under the stairs where the laundry machines were and said, "That…over there. See it? It looks like a…big red box…with black ribbon."

Harley leaned forward a bit and her mouth dropped when she saw that it was indeed a big black and red present that was almost the size of the dryer that was sitting beside it. She turned her head and looked at The Joker with a small smile.

He smirked and said, "Go on…go check it out…maybe it's for you."

She leapt to her feet and trotted over to the gift as The Joker followed close behind her. He stopped and leaned against the banister of the staircase and watched as his little harlequin carefully ripped apart the bow. She gasped when she heard scuffling inside and paused for a moment. It wasn't until she heard soft whimpering that she tore off the ribbon and threw off the top.

The Joker watched as Harley put her hands to her mouth as she looked at her gift. When she had opened the box, she was greeted by the two small hyena pups, both wearing a bright red bow around their necks. They gazed up at her and their tails began to wag eagerly and the bigger one let out what sounded like a small laugh that echoed under the staircase.

"Oh…my goodness," Harley finally muttered as her eyes began to water. She couldn't decide how to feel at that moment. At first, she felt surprised, then confused as to how they got into their home, then curious about how The Joker obtained these little bundles of joy, then surprised again, and finally complete and utter happiness.

She reached into the box and the pups began to lick at her fingers and paw at her wrists, as if begging her to reach further down and pick them up. She did so and they both licked at her cheeks and lips as she laughed at how much it tickled. "Oh…babies…"

The Joker chuckled as he watched his girl's face glow with joy as her newly adopted puppies were kissing her all over her face. He walked over to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Geez, Harl. If you don't like them…I can always take them back."

She threw her head back and laughed and the hyena pups mimicked her in their high pitched howls. The Joker couldn't help but laugh out loud himself and he patted one of the babies on its Mohawk and said, "Yeah, they're gonna fit right in, aren't they?"

"Oh, Puddin'," Harley cooed, happy tears streaming down her cheeks. "Thank you. This is so…so…generous…I can't believe that…"

"I know, I know," he said, kissing her ear. "I figured that since the year is almost finished that I should perform at least one good deed." He stroked her neck and hugged her waist tighter. "So, why not finish the year with a bang?"

Harley giggled as she squeezed her new babies in her arms and they soon rested their heads on her chest, exhausted from all the affection they had just given her.

*******Quick note: I did some research, as I do with all my stories. I'm putting this up because someone asked if the puppies being able to do all these things in the story would be plausible. T****his is a paragraph from an online fact sheet I got from the Web: "Newborns are black and weigh about 3.3 pounds (1.5 kg). Unlike most carnivores, hyenas are born in an advanced state of development. Their eyes are open, many of their teeth are fully formed, and they can even pull themselves along the ground with their front paws. Within hours after birth, same-sex siblings begin to battle for dominance."**

**Wish I could give you the link, but FFNet won't allow it. So just type in 'hyena offspring.' They're very interesting creatures.**

**Thought I'd clear that up and thanks to the reader who politely commented. More to come... XD**


	3. Chapter 3

Harley played on into the night with her Christmas present and was so enraptured with the hyena pups that The Joker took this once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity to go to bed early and catch up on his sleep.

"I'll be right behind you, Pud," Harley told him, laughing as she played tug-o-war with an old towel, the bigger pup grunting and wagging his tail as he pulled on the other end. "Come on, Bud," she giggled. "Give it here."

The Joker raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Bud?"

She smiled. "Yeah. I named them Bud and Lou. I think it fits, don't you?"

He nodded. "Like Abbot and Costello. Clever, babe. I'm gonna hit the sack. Wake me when it's New Year's."

"Ok, boys," Harley spoke to her pups. "Settle down. Daddy's going to sleep."

The Joker paused in front of the bedroom door. "Please don't call me their Daddy," he said, slightly cringing.

"Why not?" Harley asked. "I'm their new Mama…"

"Well, I'm not their Daddy. I can be…oh, I don't know…Uncle Jay or something."

"Mama and Uncle Jay. That sounds like a bad spinoff of The Beverly Hillbillies."

The Joker sighed and was about to retort but was suddenly interrupted by Bud dropping the towel and trotting over to the stairs. He put his front paws on the bottom step and looked up at The Joker, whining as he struggled to lift his back legs onto the step.

"Aww," Harley cooed.

"What?" The Joker asked, giving the desperate pup a curious expression.

"Bud likes you, Puddin'," Harley explained. "I think he wants to go to bed, too."

"Well, sorry, Buddy Boy," The Joker told the little hyena, who wagged its tail at the sound of his voice. "You and Lou are sleeping in your box until we can get you boys a pen."

Harley's jaw dropped as Lou sleepily crawled into her lap with an old sock in his mouth. He settled his head on her thigh as she spoke, "A pen? I'm not locking my babies up…"

The Joker walked over to the top step and leaned against the banister of the staircase. "Then where are they sleeping?"

"In bed…with me…" she declared proudly.

"No," he replied simply. "No. No. No. Those things are not sleeping with us."

"Things?" Harley gasped. "These beautiful babies are just things to you?"

The Joker groaned as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Harley, they're animals…not people. They're sleeping down here in their box. Tomorrow, you can go get them a crate…"

"A crate?! Why don't I just throw them outside in the cold and they can sleep under the car?"

"Why don't you? Then I can go to bed!" The Joker's frustrated voice barked back.

Harley scratched Lou behind his ears as his eyes drooped shut. "Come on, honey. Just for tonight."

"I said no!" His stern voice echoed off the ceiling of the old theatre and Lou hid his face in the crook of Harley's knee, but Bud merely kept his position on the bottom step watching The Joker's every move.

"Fine…" Harley grumbled. "Come here, Bud…it's bedtime. Daddy says you have to spend your first Christmas in a musty old box."

"Damn straight," The Joker replied, going into the bedroom and slamming the door. "And don't call me Daddy!" he shouted as he got into bed.

An hour later, Harley woke up to the sound of whimpering and scratching coming from under the stairs. "Aww, poor babies…" she whispered.

The Joker just groaned and put his head under his pillow to block out the noise, but it didn't block out Harley.

"Listen to the poor things. I'll bet they're cold." She turned to The Joker and rubbed his back. "Let's just let them sleep up here, Puddin'. Please?"

The Joker didn't reply but just lay still pretending to be asleep, but Harley huffed and shook him. "Pud!"

"No, Harley! If I let them sleep in the bed now, they'll want to all the time."

"But they're cold! What if they just slept beside the bed? I could bring their blankets up here; they're lonely, too."

He knew that if he didn't quell her fears of her little furry babies freezing to death that he was never going to get any sleep…and he had a job planned the following day and he needed to rest. "Okay…okay," he finally agreed. "But just _beside_ the bed…nowhere else, got me?"

"Yay!" Harley squeaked. "I love you, Puddin'!"

"Yeah, yeah…" he mumbled as he put his head back on the pillow and drifted back into slumber.

No sooner had Harley put the pups in their makeshift bed of blankets and had snuggled back to The Joker's side than he felt their thick comforter being tugged on from the end of the bed. He sighed and lifted himself up and looked over the edge to find that Bud had the comforter in his mouth and was trying to pull it off the bed while Lou was busy trying to climb onto the mattress.

The Joker growled and shot out of bed, and Bud stopped tugging and the pups wagged their tails in excitement, expecting The Joker to play with them. However, he just lifted them up and set them in their blankets beside the bed. "Stay!" he demanded and then going back to his spot on the bed. He heard a yelp from Lou in reply and The Joker pivoted to face them and saw that the pups were following him back to the bed.

"No! Go lay down!" The Joker scolded them, making Lou's ears start to flatten against his head. Bud sat by The Joker's feet and started pawing at his toes. He gently shoved Bud off him and once again commanded, "Bed! Now!" Bud stood on his hind legs and supported himself by placing his forepaws on The Joker's leg, but he pushed him down. "No! Bad pups! Go to bed!"

His loud persistence awoke Harley from her sleep and she rubbed her eyes, saying, "What's going on?"

"Tell these little hairballs to go to sleep."

She couldn't help but giggle as she watched Bud and Lou try to persuade The Joker with their big, black eyes and inquisitive turns of their heads. "They just want to share Mama and Daddy's bed."

"I'm not Daddy…" he grumbled. "I'm sleepy." He looked at Harley and saw that she was also trying to sway her boyfriend's decision about sleeping arrangements.

Unlike the pitiful pups at his feet, Harley was the winner when it came to imploring eyes. Her deep baby blues always got to him.

He threw his hands up in frustration and said, "Fine! But they have to go to sleep or it's back in the box." He roughly picked them up from the floor and tossed them onto the bed, making Lou tumble into Harley's lap. She gasped but was relieved when Lou sat up, shook his head and began to lick her chin, making her laugh. The Joker climbed under the covers and turned to watch Harley put Lou beside her. The pup immediately snuggled into her arm, resting his head on her shoulder and closing his eyes.

The Joker smirked. "Looks like Lou's a Mama's Boy…"

She grinned. "Bud must be Daddy's Boy then because…" She pointed behind him and The Joker turned his head to find Bud had curled up between his legs, his tiny head on his ankle.

The Joker looked at Harley and shrugged. "At least they'll be quiet now…but remember it's only for tonight."

"Uh huh," she replied, truly unconvinced.

"I mean it…" he told her, turning his head and sinking into his pillow. He grinned as he heard Lou's soft whimpers and Harley gently shushing him as Bud grunted and kicked his legs and rolled onto his back.

**One year later**

Lou was stretched out on the end of the bed as Bud was silently keeping watch from the window, his squat hind legs supporting his thick upper body as he looked out onto the abandoned lot. The Joker and Harley had left only hours ago, but to Bud and Lou it seemed like days since they had been home. Lou would perk his ears when he heard Bud's impatient grunting as he watched Mike and Ringo sit outside the front door, smoking.

The hyena pups were not yet fully grown, but their manes were beginning to grow thicker around their ears and down along their necks. Bud's physique was more defined than Lou's and his alertness at every sound and every little movement around the old theatre would cause sudden outbursts of yelps and barks as he would run from the window, down the stairs and to the front door.

He made quite an annoying habit of it that, one night, The Joker threatened that he would personally tie Bud to a post and snip his vocal chords. This threat would become empty as soon as Bud would pause in his barking only to crawl to The Joker's feet and show him his belly. The Joker would smirk and kneel down to roughly pet Bud's neck, playfully gripping his mane and growling at him to make him growl. "Ahh, okay," The Joker would mutter to him. "I guess you mean well…ya crazy pup."

Lou was smaller than his brother, but was just as tough when Bud wanted to play-fight. He could easily snatch a toy right from under Bud's nose and quickly crawl under the bed, something that seemed like a feat for his brother as he was too muscular to squeeze under the bed frame. Lou was also very quiet unless he heard something while Harley would take them outside to go to the bathroom before bedtime. He was very protective of her and always made sure that she was in his sight. His favorite pastime, while Bud was busy playing tug-o-war with The Joker with an old, knotted rope, was act as a fluffy Ottoman for Harley as she curled up on the sofa either watching television or reading a magazine. Her gentle scratches on his back or soft caresses down his muzzle would cause him to drift into a comfortable sleep.

Bud suddenly began barking when he saw the old Cadillac drive into the lot and Lou shot up from the bed and followed his brother down the stairs and to the front door.

"Babies!!" Harley exclaimed as she and The Joker came inside the theatre. The hyenas jumped up excitedly and pawed at her as she tried to walk to the kitchen, being careful to not trip over her excited pets.

"Down!" she heard The Joker tell them sternly as he managed to squeeze through the door, but Bud and Lou were too ecstatic to calm themselves. "Get down, I said!"

"Boys! Sit!" Harley commanded as she pulled off her cowl.

The hyenas suddenly stopped their rumpus and quickly sat themselves at the edge of the kitchen and watched as The Joker joined her by her side. "How the hell do you do that?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "I don't know. They just listen to me." She went into the pantry and grabbed a can of hot cocoa mix and a bag of tiny marshmallows.

The Joker sneered. "That's bullshit. How am I supposed to be the Alpha Male if they listen to Mama?"

Harley couldn't help but laugh at his slightly chauvinistic question. "Well, from what I read, Puddin', hyena clans have Alpha _Females_…so, maybe that's why they listen to me."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't the Alpha Females also have fake penises?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yes…they do…what's your point?"

The Joker slowly smirked at her and asked, "Is there something you're not telling me, Sweetheart?"

"Oh, grow up!" she groaned as she threw a handful of marshmallows at him.

"Hey! Don't throw those, you she-man!"

"I can do what I want," she laughed, as she threw more at him. "I'm the Alpha, bitch."

The Joker playfully gasped and then trotted up to her where he was able to swipe the marshmallows from her hand and hold her wrists behind her back. He began to nip at her neck and smirked when he heard her soft moans. "See? You like for me to dominate you, huh?"

Harley bit her lip as she felt him bite harder. "Ow…Pud. Not so rough…" He only chuckled as he bit her shoulder. "Ow! You're an animal…"

He let out a hungry growl as he suddenly lifted her up and set her on the kitchen counter, continuing to bite her neck as she squealed. This kinky display of affection was misinterpreted by Lou, who ran over to them and started to growl threateningly at The Joker. Harley looked down at him and shushed him. "Lou! It's okay…we're just playing."

However, Lou's growling was getting louder and he let out tiny grunts as he paced behind The Joker, who turned his head to watch him. "Just try it, hairball."

And he did. He snapped at him, making The Joker suddenly shuffle away from the counter, and Lou stood in front of Harley. She slid herself down onto the floor and put her hands on her hips. "No, Lou! That's a bad boy!"

The Joker interrupted her. "No, don't tell him that."

She looked at him, surprised. "But he snapped at you!" Lou's ears were beginning to flatten against his head apologetically as Bud went over to his side and licked his muzzle. "He needs to learn not to do that to you…especially when we're trying to have fun like that."

He smiled at her and replied, "That's fine, but don't demean him when he's only trying to protect you. That's a good boy, Lou." The hyenas wagged their tails cautiously as The Joker slowly walked over to Harley where he placed his arm around her waist. "See, boy? Mama's okay…" He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, making Lou's ears perk up as he walked over to The Joker and licked his hand. He received a pat on the head, to which Bud enviously shoved him out of the way so that he could get the same.

"Oh, Bud's so jealous when Daddy pets his brother," Harley giggled.

The Joker just sighed as he knelt down to the hyenas and grabbed both their manes, playfully shaking them by the scruff of the neck as they grunted. "I personally think they're ready, Harl…" he said in a serious tone.

"What?" Harley asked as she knelt beside him and put her arms around Lou's neck. "But they're still babies."

The Joker chuckled. "No, they're not, Harley. I've been observing them. They're very protective of us and are getting stronger. You know what Bud did to Ringo the other night?"

She creased her brow inquisitively. "No…what happened?"

"The guys and I were outside discussing a job and Ringo opened his knife to clean his nails. Bud must have thought that he was threatening me with it…so, you know what he did?" Harley shook her head as Lou licked her neck. "Bud jumped up and bit him."

Harley's mouth dropped open. "Oh, my God!"

"I know!" The Joker smiled. "The way he was holding the knife must have confused him, but Bud just all of a sudden jumped up and bit his hand. Ringo dropped the knife and Bud picked it up and crushed the handle with his teeth."

Harley stroked Bud's neck. "Did you really break that mean, old henchman's knife, Buddy Boy?" Bud gave her what looked like a proud smile and licked her wrist. She giggled, but then her expression turned to that of worry. "I don't know, Pud. What if they get hurt? They've never even left the lot."

"They'll be fine," The Joker assured her, but her face was still filled with concern. He made her stand up and held her face in his hands. "Baby…if what you've been reading about their species is true and they can bring down fucking wildebeests…then why wouldn't they be able to bring down someone that's trying to attack us? Hell, they could probably bring down two guys at a time." He and Harley looked down at their hyenas, who stared back at them with eager eyes, as if they knew all this time what their owners had been talking about and were excited to be a part of the scheme.

The Joker bent down and put his hands on his knees and, in an animated tone, asked, "Do you boys wanna go outside and play with the Mob?"


	4. Chapter 4

Minutes later, they were back in the old Cadillac, Harley trying to contain her giggles as Bud and Lou let out grunts as their heads were enjoying the cool breeze as they stuck them far out the car window.

The Joker glanced to his right and nudged Bobby to turn down an empty alleyway. "It's over here, Bob," he muttered. The car silently wheeled into the darkness and The Joker turned to Harley, saying, "Get the boys on their leashes, Harl. Showtime."

"Come on, babies," she calmly commanded as she pulled on her cowl. "Ready for your first job? Huh? Come on, boys."

The hyenas followed Harley out of the car as she walked to The Joker's side. He gently grabbed her elbow and whispered, "Stay behind the double doors until I give the word; is that clear?"

Harley knew that his stern tone was business as usual, but quickly tugged the leashes and her pets stopped their impatient whimpers. "Crystal…" she told him.

They exchanged a quick, soft peck on the lips and went inside the old building. The Joker led them into what used to be a kitchen in a now abandoned restaurant. Harley looked down at the hyenas and saw that they were curious about their surroundings, but they remained silent. She held their leashes tightly as she watched The Joker disappear behind the double doors that led into the dining area.

"Didya miss me?" he sarcastically asked the frightened man that was tied tightly to a chair that was seated in the middle of the room.

The man lazily looked up at his captor and exhaled heavily against the duct tape that was over his mouth. His left eye was badly bruised and Sly came up behind him and pulled his greasy, black hair, making him keep his eye on The Joker's every move.

The Joker smirked. "I see that you and Sly have become quite acquainted while I was gone," he pointed out as he pressed a gloved finger into the corner of his prisoner's swollen eye. The man groaned in pain as The Joker chuckled. "You think that hurts? We've only begun, Vinny."

Vinny's eyes grew wider as he watched The Joker take out his knife and twirl it between his fingers. "So, Vin…" he began. "Where's my half of the money?"

He quickly ripped the tape from his prisoner's mouth and Vinny gasped for air. "I dunno…I dunno what you're talkin' about."

The Joker sighed in frustration as he casually grabbed one of his fingers and cleanly cut his knife through skin and bone. Sly quickly placed the tape back over Vinny's mouth as he screamed in horrific pain. The Joker tossed the finger onto the floor beside his shoes. "You know…I really hate when people try to play dumb with me," he told the still screaming thug that was now struggling in his restraints.

When the screaming died down, Sly removed the tape and Vinny began to pant as blood poured from what was once his index finger. "Okay! Jesus Christ, clown! I'll tell you everything!"

"That was easy," Harley mumbled to herself as she looked down at her pets. They looked at her with an impatient glare but they kept their silence as they listened, their tufted tails wagging with excitement.

"Richie! Richie Carmine! He's the one that took your half, man. I didn't have any idea that you were gettin' a share of the money! I'm just part of the operation to get it outta the vaults, man!"

The Joker just stood with an amused look on his face as his prisoner began to sputter wildly and when Vinny finally fell silent, he began to laugh quietly. Vinny turned his good eye to him and a chill ran down his spine as the chuckling echoed in the empty restaurant. "What's so damn funny? I'm tellin' the truth, man!"

The Joker suddenly grabbed Vinny's face and snarled, "I know where the fuckin' money is, you idiot. I just wanted to see you squeal."

Vinny grunted in pain as his heart pounded in his chest. "What?"

The Joker nodded to Sly, who proceeded to cut the rope free from Vinny's hands. He forced him to his feet as he held his still bleeding hand and he looked at The Joker with a relieved expression.

His captor smiled as he said, "Hide."

Vinny gave him a confused expression to which The Joker merely rolled his eyes. "I told you to hide. I have some new recruits, Vin. They need to be trained properly. Now...there are plenty of hiding spaces upstairs, ya know, where your buddy's old bar used to be? Try that out." Vinny still didn't move from his spot until The Joker commanded in a deep growl, "Now!!"

Vinny finally shuffled upstairs, Sly following close behind him as The Joker picked up the lifeless finger that was at his feet. "You can come out now," he said quietly as he looked at the bloody digit.

Harley led the hyenas into the dining area to meet The Joker. "I thought I'd be in there forever, Pud," Harley whispered, grinning. "I didn't think he'd give up so easily."

The Joker smirked. "Don't worry, Harl. I wasn't gonna give our boys a rough start. They need to practice on someone that won't fight back." He showed her the bloody index finger in his hand. "The squealer's always give up the quickest." He lowered his hand and whistled, and Bud and Lou quickly perked up their ears and stuck their noses in The Joker's glove.

He snickered. "Good boys...get the scent...get his taste on your tongue...atta boys..."

Bud started to sniff the air as The Joker unhooked their leashes from their collars. Lou snorted as he paced around the empty chair and began to lap up the small pool of blood that was sinking into the wood floor. Bud made his way to the bottom step and lifted his head with a loud grunt.

Harley stood still by The Joker as they watched their pets search for their prey. Lou, hearing Bud's alert, trotted over next to his brother and began to sniff the air.

Suddenly, Lou let out a loud bark and began to race up the stairs, Bud following behind him. "Come on," The Joker said with a satisfied smile. "I don't wanna miss this."

Once they reached the top of the stairs, Lou immediately planted his nose into the wood paneling of the floor and began his search. Bud followed behind him to an old, busted piano that was in the corner of the room.

"He's behind the piano," Harley whispered excitedly.

"Shh! Let them figure it out," The Joker urged. "I wanna see if they'll wait for me."

"Wait for you?"

The hyenas inched closer to the piano when Lou all of a sudden stopped dead in his tracks, lowered his head, and let out a deep, threatening growl as he bared his teeth at the rotten instrument in front of him. Bud did likewise and stepped to one side of the piano and peered behind it.

There was Vinny, hugging himself against the wall within the small space and now shaking with fear as he saw Bud's mouth salivate when he discovered his prey. Vinny tried to back away from the hyena, but turned to find its brother waiting on the other side, a deadly glare in his eyes and the hair on its neck beginning to rise.

Vinny's heart had begun pounding the moment he heard Lou's bark from downstairs, and now it threatened to burst out of his chest as he felt the hyenas hot, hungry pants sink into his skin.

"Boys..." Vinny heard The Joker's voice. The hyenas stopped their loud panting and stood stock still, never averting their gaze from the frightened gangster. The silence was cold and deadly as Vinny stared into Bud's eyes.

His mind raced over the events that had occurred within the past few minutes. Losing his finger, being untied and told to run upstairs for the new recruits. He had no idea what he was getting into. Why didn't he attack The Joker's man that followed behind him? Why did he comply with The Joker's sick request?

It was then that Vinny realized that he wouldn't be ripped apart by the infamous clown after all, but by his trained pets who now had him cornered as he sat in a shaking, vulnerable position.

Like a cornered rabbit...

"Sic him!" The Joker commanded and the last thing Vinny saw wasn't his life flashing before his eyes, but a gaping maw filled with sharp teeth as Bud jumped upon him.

Harley couldn't suppress her proud smile as she listened to her babies complete their first job. The sound of fabric ripping mixed with the crunch of bone and pitiful screams was music to her ears.

"My boys are so grown up now!" she suddenly exclaimed at the top of her lungs.

The Joker glanced at her, a brow raised curiously. "You're cute," he said, smiling as he continued to watch fray unfold from behind the piano.

Vinny's blood was beginning to flow like a stream from underneath it, and Lou suddenly appeared with a bloody shoe in his mouth. He laid himself comfortably beside the piano and began to chew on his new toy, but Bud wanted a piece, too. He grabbed the toe of the shoe as Lou held onto the heel, and they tugged with each other until The Joker nudged Harley, who let out a loud whistle.

The hyenas stopped their playing and ran over to them, and they were greeted by pets of praise and kisses on their bloody muzzles by Harley. "Good boys! Mama's so proud!"

The Joker walked over to Sly and patted him on the back. Sly had to keep his dinner from coming up from the sudden force of The Joker's gloved hand, but his wave of nausea vanished when he heard his boss's voice. "Take care of it..."

"Yeah, Boss," Sly replied after taking a gulp of the suddenly salty air around him. "Right on it..."

**Two years later**

The hyenas had grown stronger and had also survived the many run-ins they had with Commissioner Gordon as well as The Batman. Lou had half his left ear sliced off by one of Batman's 'toys' and Bud had managed to burn off his tail after getting sideswiped by a piece of burning debris from a building to which The Joker had equipped with explosives.

Harley also noticed that Lou had been coughing for the past few nights. The hacking would begin in the middle of the night and sometimes last for an hour before Lou finally decided to go downstairs to drink what was left in his water dish. One night, before a job in The Narrows, Harley revealed her concerns to The Joker.

He only sneered. "Allergies..." he told her. "That's probably it."

"If it were allergies, then he would do it every time the season changed," Harley said as she straightened her cowl. "This is new."

"Don't worry about it," The Joker muttered as he pulled on his coat. "He's fine."

Just as he turned to call them to his side, Lou began to hack uncontrollably, his back legs splayed out behind him as he tried to support himself with his forepaws. Bud tilted his head as he watched his brother cough into the carpet. "Oh, Lou..." Harley cooed. "Maybe you should stay at home..."

"No!" The Joker suddenly snapped. "We need them both, Harley. We've been planning this meeting with this guy Lombardo for weeks."

"But, Puddin'," Harley whined. "Listen to him. He won't be able to keep it together. And what if we have to high-tail it? He won't be able to keep up."

"He can stay in the car...in case we need back up..." The Joker assured her. He pat Bud's head and continued, "Bud is strong enough to help us on his own."

"I don't like it, Pud," Harley persisted. "He needs to be kept warm. What if he's really sick?"

"He's coming with us, Harley."

"No, he isn't!" she suddenly retorted. She bit her tongue when she saw The Joker's startled glare.

His expression became stern and he stomped over to her and grabbed her by the arm and hoisted her up into his firm grip. "Have you forgotten who's runnin' the show here, honey?" he snarled at her. "The dog stays if _I _say so...but I didn't, did I? _Did I_?!"

Harley flinched and bit her lip. "But...he's sick, Mistah J..."

"That's not what I asked you!" The Joker snapped back. "The dog's going and if he can't keep up, then it isn't my problem!"

Bud began to flatten his ears and a low growl emitted from his throat, but The Joker continued to grip Harley tightly by the arms. As Lou kept coughing, Bud crept behind The Joker and watched him carefully.

Harley whimpered. "Daddy...how can you say that?"

"One sick dog isn't gonna ruin this meeting, little girl," he replied. "You know how much money is at stake here?"

"I thought you didn't care about the money..." she said softly. "What _do_ you care about? Not your own pets, apparently, or even how much it would hurt me if something were to happen to them! You're such a selfish prick!"

Bud heard The Joker's sound slap and saw Harley stumble onto the floor beside Lou, and he lunged toward The Joker and sank his teeth into the tails of his purple coat. The Joker struggled against Bud trying to pull him onto his knees, and he finally regained his footing and sent a swift kick into Bud's ribs. He whimpered and bounced away from him, but not before taking a piece of his coat with him.

The Joker stared at Bud as he quickly set the piece of cloth onto the floor and sat with his ears flattened against his head in an apologetic manner. The Joker started to stomp toward him, but was stopped by Harley's pleas. "Baby, don't!"

He stopped and turned to her, a single tear running down her cheek and staining her painted face. "You always told me to never reprimand them when they're trying to protect me. That's all Bud was trying to do...don't hurt him."

The Joker sighed and walked over to her. He looked down at her and her baby blues shined into his dark eyes. He sniffed and muttered, "Touch up your face and get in the car. Take Bud with you." He turned to Lou and pet him gently on the head. "Stay, boy. Go lie down."

Lou watched Harley leave the bedroom with Bud and slowly climbed onto the bed and curled into a ball, exhaling small coughs as he closed his eyes.

An hour later, they stood in an empty lot facing Lombardo and two of his men, one of them holding a briefcase. Lombardo took a long drag off his cigar and looked down at Bud, who was cautiously wagging his tail as he stood between The Joker and Harley. "Some animal you got there, clown," Lombardo said. "Where's the other one?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" The Joker answered with a smirk. "He could be anywhere. I'd watch your asses, boys."

One of Lombardo's men shifted his eyes to the right side of the lot to try to make out the silhouette of another hyena in the darkness, but soon turned his attention back to his boss when Lombardo stated, "We got your money here, Joker. Now...where's my merchandise?"

Bud growled uncomfortably as Bobby stepped forward with The Joker's gesture and stopped in front of Lombardo. The Joker cleared his throat and said, "Your man's gonna have to meet mine in the middle, Lombardo. We can't just keep suspicious looking briefcases lying around, now, can we?"

Lombardo motioned for his other man to go over to Bobby and with a swift movement, they made the exchange. The Joker took the briefcase from Bobby and opened it with a smirk. "Nice...for once, you've lived up to your...generous...reputation."

Lombaro bit his cigar as he opened his briefcase. Instead of the automatic handguns he had requested from his guest, his cigar dropped from his mouth as he read the note that was glaring at him from the empty case. "Stick 'em up?" Lombardo read out loud. "What the hell is this, clown?!"

The Joker and Harley grinned as they heard the sound of police sirens blaring their way down the streets. "See ya!" Harley cried out as The Joker grabbed her hand as they began to run toward the car.

"Waste those rats!!" Lombardo commanded, but before his men could draw, Bud latched onto one of them and attached himself to his neck. The other thug tried to pry the crazed hyena off his partner, but Bud's teeth soon found their way into his wrist. His new victim cried out in pain as the sirens got closer.

The car skidded to a halt near the fracas and Harley opened the back door. "Bud! Come on, baby! Let's go!"

Bud let go of his victim and ran toward the car. Lombardo's gun exploded in the night air, but Harley managed to reach forward and grab Bud as he leapt toward the backseat.

She pulled him inside and laid him across her lap as they sped off down another street. The Joker watched a stray police car zoom past them toward where they had left Lombardo, and he couldn't help but cackle with glee, making Harley follow suit as she pet Bud's Mohawk.

Harley soon came out of her delightful trance and noticed that Bud hadn't moved since she had pulled him onto her lap. She lightly caressed his ears and whispered, "Bud? Buddy Boy?" Harley bit her lip nervously when he didn't respond, and she reached down and scratched his belly.

Instead of his customary kicking reflex whenever she would scratch him, Bud lay motionless in her lap. "Bud?" Harley choked out.

The Joker heard Harley's tone and turned to look toward her and saw that Bud's eyes were wide open and his tongue was hanging sloppily out of his mouth. His eyes widened as he reached over the seat and grabbed his muzzle and gently shook him as Harley watched him with hopeful eyes. The Joker stopped his playful shaking when he saw the exit wound that Lombardo's bullet had left between Bud's eyes.

Harley saw it, too, and her mouth dropped open in shock, and after a sharp intake of breath, she cradled her hyena's head in her arms and cried into the coarse fur of his neck. "Nooo!" she sobbed. "That son-of-a-bitch! He...killed him!! Oh, my Bud!"

The Joker couldn't think of what to do so he just turned his attention back to the road and stared straight ahead. Bobby glanced in the rearview mirror and sighed as he caught a glimpse of Harley crying as if she had lost a child.

I guess, in a way, Bobby thought to himself, she has.

Harley's sobbing continued as they pulled into the lot of the abandoned theatre they called home. The Joker spied Lou peering out their bedroom and then suddenly duck out of sight. He sighed; he knew that Lou was running to the door to greet them.

Lou jumped up and placed his paws on The Joker's thighs and licked his wrists. He couldn't smile at his pet as he scratched him behind his ear. "Hey, Louie," he muttered. Lou ran past him into the lot to meet Harley, but stopped when he saw her get out of the car and saw Bud's back leg hanging from the backseat.

Lou quickly ran to the car and Harley tried to stop him, but he squeezed past her and sniffed Bud's lifeless foot. He cautiously back away and looked at Harley, as if looking for an answer. All he got was Harley falling to her knees and wrapping her arms around his long neck. Lou grunted and pawed at her as her tears fell into his fur.

Sly and Townshend followed The Joker back to the car and Sly peered into the backseat. "Shit," he whispered to himself. He turned and looked at Harley, who was still holding onto Lou. The Joker snapped him out of his trance by demanding, in an empty tone, "Sly...take care of it..."

Sly nodded slowly and gently pulled Bud's body from the backseat and carried him to the back of the lot, Townshend following close behind, stopping near the shed to grab a shovel. Harley watched them disappear into the tall, dead grass behind the fence surrounding the lot and allowed The Joker to help her to her feet.

"Come on, Harley Baby," he told her as he led her inside and up the stairs to their bedroom. "There's nothing we can do." Harley nodded and continued to cry as Lou slowly followed them.

He sat on the bed beside The Joker as he watched Harley undress and change into her pajamas. She went into the bathroom to wash off her makeup and The Joker absentmindedly pet Lou's scruffy mane that grew down his long neck. "I'm sorry, pal," he muttered to him, not looking at him.

As soon as they settled into bed, Lou curled up between them at their feet and closed his eyes. An hour later, his hacking returned and The Joker slowly lifted his head and watched Lou struggle to breathe as he jumped onto the floor. He sighed and snuggled closer to Harley and stroked her tear-stained face as she silently slumbered.

Weeks later, The Joker decided that it was time to break even sadder news to Harley after a night of her sitting up with Lou in the bathroom trying to comfort him as he coughed into a now blood-soaked towel.

Townshend and Ringo watched their boss as he paced to and from the bedroom door, flicking his knife in and out of its sheath as he was deep in thought. "Looks like the Boss is gonna have to get rid of another recruit," Ringo muttered.

Townshend shot him an angry glare. "Not cool, man," he whispered back with a sneer. "That's their pet. They already lost the other one and now he's gonna have to put this one outta it's misery. I feel sorry for her..."

Ringo raised an eyebrow. "Her? Harley? You got a hard-on for the Boss's girl, man?"

"No, asshole, but I did have pets of my own once. It sucks when they have to be...ya know..."

The Joker finally opened the door to the bedroom to find Harley sitting at her vanity staring into the mirror as Lou lay on the floor, breathing heavily as he looked up at him. The Joker made his way to the bed and sat on the edge of it, and he rubbed his gloved hands between his knees as he looked at Harley's tired reflection.

"Harley?" he said in a gentle voice. "Let me...let me take Lou..."

Harley slowly turned to face him with a slightly startled expression. "Take him? Where?"

The Joker licked the corners of his mouth and sighed. "Outside...out in the back of the lot...I promise to make it painless..."

She realized what he was requesting and she dropped to her knees to wrap her arms around her weary pet. "No! I won't let you!" she cried into his fur, making Lou groan uncomfortably, but he let her hold his head in her embrace.

"Harley, you know that...he's suffering..." The Joker explained gently to her. "It needs to be done. If we don't, then one night he'll suffocate in his sleep."

"He'll get better, Puddin'," she cried, although she knew that it was hopeless, but she couldn't lose another pet that she had raised and loved from a pup. "He's okay..."

The Joker stomped into the bathroom and came back to her with the bloody towel. "Does this look like he's okay, Harley?" He threw the towel beside her and she turned away from it and wiped her eyes. He sighed and knelt beside her. "He's dying, baby," he whispered to her. "You know that, right? You can see that?"

Harley looked into his eyes as he stroked her cheek and slowly nodded. "Yes..." came her cracked voice. She held Lou's face a minute longer and then gave him a gentle kiss on his muzzle. "Okay! Go!" she demanded. "Just please...I don't want him to..."

"He won't feel a thing; I promise, baby," The Joker softly assured her. "Come on, Lou."

Lou slowly raised himself and followed The Joker out of the bedroom as Harley slammed the bathroom door and began to cry softly.

Sly followed The Joker out to the lot but stopped just at the edge of the theatre. He watched Lou limp after The Joker as he led him out into the same field where they had buried Bud.

The Joker suddenly stopped and took out his gun. "Sit, Lou," he mumbled before turning to face him. As he looked down at the weak hyena, their eyes met and he saw how tired Lou had become. He wasn't at an old age for a hyena, yet the weeks of coughing, being short of breath and also from becoming listless since Bud's death, Lou looked haggard and had lost the energy that once burned in his eyes when he was well.

The Joker dropped to his knees and stroked Lou's Mohawk and Lou grunted with gratitude as his owner whispered, "I'm sorry, boy..." He then stood up and pressed the tip of his gun to the spot between Lou's eyes.

And for the first time in his life, The Joker closed his eyes as he squeezed the trigger.

He heard Lou's limp body drop to the ground and he sniffed loudly as he stared straight ahead of him. He didn't drop his gaze and he slowly walked back toward the theatre where Sly was patiently waiting.

The Joker stopped beside him and took a deep breath, saying, "Sly...uh..." He was at a loss for words as he tried to hide his grief at what he just did.

Sly looked at the ground and said, "I'll take care of it, Boss..."

"Yeah," The Joker nodded. "Yeah..." He walked back into the theatre and back into the bedroom.

Harley's sobs had begun when she heard his gun ring out into the night and her sobs were what greeted him when he stepped into the bathroom to comfort her. She crawled into his lap as he sat against the counter, and he held her tightly as he rocked her back and forth. "Shh...shh...it's okay, baby," he whispered. "He isn't hurting anymore."

When her crying finally died down, he carried her to the bed and laid her under the sheets. Harley curled into her pillow as The Joker undressed and went into the bathroom to wash off his paint. As he looked into the mirror, he could feel two hot tears stream down his cheek and mingle with the hot water on his clean face. He sniffed again and quickly dried off and returned to the bedroom.

He held her close and stroked her long blonde hair as she sniffed into her pillow. He gently kissed her shoulder and pulled her closer to him, but stopped when she suddenly asked, "Can I ask you...a hypothetical question?"

The Joker snickered softly and then said, "Sure."

"If we...ever had a baby..."

"Harl. Don't start that," he groaned.

"You said I could ask you, Puddin'. And...it's only hypothetical."

He sighed. "Okay..."

"If we ever...had a baby...would you want a boy...or a girl?"

The Joker shook his head, but smirked as he replied, "Okay, Harley. I'll bite. If we ever had a kid...and this is a big 'if'...with a capital I _and_ a capital F...I think we'd have a boy."

Harley turned to him and wiped her eyes. "Really? Why a boy?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I just always felt that...I was destined to have a boy...if I ever had a kid, that is."

"But what if it's a girl?"

"Nope. It's gonna be a boy."

Harley raised her eyebrows and grinned. "Gonna?"

The Joker licked his lips and sighed. "Hypothetically 'gonna,' okay?"

She giggled and snuggled into his chest as he breathed in the scent of her hair. As she drifted into sleep, his thoughts drifted to the night the hyenas became part of their family and of the weeks that had recently transpired.

He kissed her forehead and whispered, "I wish I could give you what you want, Harley, but...I don't think I could give you a baby. Call me selfish, but...I like it...when it's just 'us.'"

As he slowly fell asleep, The Joker kicked the place at the end of the bed and felt nothing there until he felt Harley's leg lock itself into his.

**THE END**


End file.
